


Backwater Ballerinas

by madders



Series: Out Of Gas AU [2]
Category: Firefly
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-12
Updated: 2012-07-12
Packaged: 2017-11-09 19:53:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/457758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madders/pseuds/madders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mal and Jayne head for an easy drop off on a backwater planet,but when is anything ever easy?</p><p>Author’s Note: This is the second of two pre-slash spin offs I have done for my slightly AU ‘verse. </p><p>Timeline: This is set pre-series, before Book or Simon and River are on board.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jayne looked out of the shuttle’s viewport with no little disdain as he took in the sight before him. A small settlement lay nestled on the edge of a thick forest, with what passed for a landing area set someway away from the main dwellings.

Mal stood beside him, eyes darting about, taking it all in and looking for any signs of the place they were supposed to meet their contact.

“Haven’t you found a lovely place to commit your latest crime.” Inara scoffed from the pilot’s seat. “It’s so… rustic.”

“We ain’t here to commit crime woman.” Mal frowned. “We’re here to meet a contact and make us a deal.”

“So that you can sell your illegal cargo and arrange to go and commit more crime.” She replied, tossing her head a little.

“We’ll just hafta wait ‘n see now, won’t we.” He replied; turning and ducking behind the curtain into the main part of the shuttle.

“Well I’m not waiting. You two go on and have your little meeting. I’ll see you when I get back in two days.” She called after him.

Jayne took one last look out of the viewport before turning and following Mal.

It was less than two minutes before they were on the ground, and Mal and Jayne stepped out into the early evening light and onto the dust bowl that served as a port.

Inara came to the hatch as they left. “Enjoy your business.” She called after them. Jayne frowned at how unsavory she could make that one word sound. Mal swung around and looked at her, walking backwards towards the town.

“Enjoy your whorin’. He replied, not waiting to see the look on her face as he swung back around and carried on walking.

Jayne didn’t even bother to hide his grin at the look he knew had to be on her face right about now.

They walked through the town, taking in their surroundings and looking for the bar the meet was arranged for. They were an hour or so early, but as far as both Mal and Jayne were concerned, in this case, it was better for them to be there early and get the lay of the land, rather than be caught out because of poor forward-planning.

Mal finally spotted the bar, tucked down a side street, and he thumped Jayne softly in the chest to draw his attention before nodding in that direction. Jayne looked briefly and nodded, before carrying on past the alley to check out any other entrances at the back, whilst Mal did the same at the front. Satisfied that there were no surprises his end, Mal took a deep breath and walked into the bar.

He swept his gaze across the room, partially hidden by his eyelashes as he sauntered over to the counter and ordered two drinks, surreptitiously slipping the bartender a handwritten note with the coin. He barely even reacted as Jayne appeared at his shoulder just as the beers were put on the bar top, before looking at Jayne and following him as he gestured towards an out of the way corner of the room, partially hidden from the rest of the clientele.

Once seated, Jayne took a sip of his beer. “Two ‘round the back exit.” He muttered behind the beer glass.

Mal looked at him and nodded minutely, taking a sip of his own drink.

“One guard on the front, plus another two watching the office over there.” He added, tossing his head slightly in the direction of the back of the bar.

Jayne nodded and took another sip of his beer, grimacing at the taste.

“So, anything special planned?” He asked, keeping his eye on the goings-on behind Mal’s shoulder.

Mal shook his head. “Not really. Shouldn’t need to.”

He frowned at the disbelieving look on Jayne’s face.

“I mean it this time. This here buyer likes things to run smooth-like, and don’t like violence. That’s why I told ya not to bring Vera or any of your bigger girls. He gets jumpy around too much firepower. We meet him here and make the exchange. Word is; he’s got another job for us as well, so we get the details and leave. Then we can call Serenity and they’ll swing by and pick us up after Kaylee’s finished patching the boat up on Beaumonde. No trouble, no complications. Easy job.”

Jayne stared at him for a minute, looking to poke a hole in the plan, but couldn’t. “Easy job,” he muttered, taking another sip of the swill in his mug. “That’ll make a gorram change.”

They settled down into an easy silence as they drank their beers, Jayne watching one of the whores who was doing a round of the bar, grinning as he caught her eye and she sashayed across the floor towards him.

“Hey cutie.” She spoke, settling down on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Hey yerself darlin’” Jayne drawled, treating her to a full grin. “What’s yername?” He asked, wrapping his thick arms around her waist.

“Mary-Jo.” She replied, wriggling on his lap.

“Well, nice to meetcha Mary-Jo.” He grinned at her again. “I’m Jayne.”

She smiled at him and turned to look at Mal.

“Who’s your friend?” She asked, smiling at Mal. When he didn’t respond or smile back, however, her smile lost a little of its lustre.

“Oh, don’t worry ‘bout him none.” Jayne told her. “He ain’t much for womenfolk.”

“HEY!” Mal responded. “I ain’t sly. Just ‘cause I don’t sleep with every gorram female I ever meet, don’t make me sly.”

Jayne’s eyes widened for a second at Mal’s anger and he let his grip loosen on Mary-Jo, who slipped off of his lap and moved behind his chair.

“Come find me later cutie.” She whispered in his ear, “Just, don’t bring him.” And then she was gone, smiling as she spotted another man walking into the bar.

Jayne tuned back to face Mal, his face tight.

“Thanks a lot Mal.” He grumbled.

“We ain’t here for you to get your end away Jayne.” Mal informed him. “All goes well and you can do that later, least ‘til Serenity gets here to pick us up. But first we gotta finish this job and get paid.”

Jayne picked up his drink and took a deep gulp, slamming the empty mug back down on the table.

“Fine.” He agreed. “But when we’re done, I don’t want you nowhere near ‘til it’s time to leave. You scare the womenfolk.”

Mal glared at him but nodded. “I have no intention of sitting around and watching you work your way through every whore in this backwater.” He muttered.

The door to the office opened, and Mal watched out of the corner of his eye as a man made his way to the counter. A brief discussion with the bartender had him looking their way, and he nodded at the server before walking over towards them.

Mal took a moment to size him up. He was young-ish, maybe heading towards thirty, and fairly well dressed in a suit, with a fancy waistcoat over a white shirt. He didn’t look to be armed, which fit in with everything he had been told about his buyer.

He stopped beside their table, looking down at Mal and Jayne.

“Captain Reynolds?” He asked, looking between the two of them.

Mal nodded, standing. “I’m Reynolds, this here’s Jayne.”

The man smiled a little. “I’m Jason Wong. I understand you may have a business opportunity for me. Perhaps you’d like to discuss it in my office?” He asked; motioning towards the door he had come out of. “It’s much more… private in there.”

Mal smiled and nodded, and motioned for him to lead the way. Jayne stood and followed them both, watching as the guards in the bar kept a very close eye on them.

Mal entered the office first, walking over to the desk and turning, taking in the layout of the spacious but dark room and spotting a door that he presumed was the back exit Jayne had seen. Wong and Jayne both entered behind him, followed by one of the guards.

“Can I get either of you something to drink?” Wong asked, gesturing towards a fully stocked drinks cabinet behind his desk.

“No thank you.” Mal spoke quickly, cutting Jayne off before he opened his mouth.

Jason smiled and helped himself to a drink. “Hope you don’t mind if I do.” He turned and sat down at his desk, settling his drink on a small coaster.

“Now, down to business.” He grinned, looking at Mal. “I take it you have my goods?”

Mal nodded and stepped forwards, reaching inside his coat and taking out a small wrapped bundle. Jayne kept an eye on the guard, who had made an abortive move of his hand behind his back as Mal had opened his coat, telling Jayne exactly where his weapon was kept.

“Must say, Mr Wong. That this must be one of the smallest cargoes we ever did carry.” Mal told him as he carefully handed the package over.

Wong glanced up with a grin. “Small is beautiful, Captain Reynolds.” He told him, carefully setting the package down and beginning to unwrap it.

“Just because something is small enough to fit in your pocket, doesn’t mean its worth is equally small. Indeed, this to me is worth more than anything you could fill your ship’s hold with.”

He finally uncovered the last piece of wrapping and a smile lit up his face.

“It’s beautiful, is it not, Captain?” He spoke, lifting the tiny figurine, no more than six inches high up out of the package reverently.

“Real shiny.” Mal answered, looking at the tiny ballerina figurine, caught mid-pirouette.

“She’s precious.” Wong informed them both, standing up and moving across to the side of the room. As he flicked a switch, a display cabinet lit up, filled with similar figurines, some on little turntables that made them slowly spin.

He opened up the cabinet and placed the figurine inside, on an empty turntable right in the center of the display. “She’s a perfect replica of the finest figurines produced on Earth-that-was.” He informed them, watching the ballerina execute a slow spin. “The originals have been lost through the passage of time, but these replicas themselves are well over one hundred years old. In their own way, they have become just as priceless as the originals would be, especially to a collector like myself.”

He dragged himself away from the cabinet and made his way back to his desk, opening a drawer and taking out a purse.

“My thanks for a speedy and flawless delivery Captain.” Wong smiled, walking back around the desk and handing the purse to Mal. “There are not many who I can trust to transport such a fine and delicate item such as this, and I will be sure to call upon you again as soon as the need arises.” Mal took the purse with a smile, happy something was going right for once.

“That’s sure kind of you Mr Wong.” He thanked him, shaking his hand. “We’ll be happy to be of service to you in the future.”

“Wonderful, wonderful.” Jason grinned, turning around and picking his drink back up once more, taking a sip.

“In the mean time, I do have a much more mundane job for you and your crew, if you’re interested.” He added.

Mal smiled at him. “We surely are.”

“I have need for some cargo to be transported here from Ouidah.” He told Mal, who stiffened slightly. Jayne frowned a little, but made no move.

Wong didn’t notice either man’s unease, and continued talking. “I have all the papers, all you’d need to do is land there, make contact with my seller and make the exchange, and then bring it back here to me. I’ll give you the money for the purchase, of course, along with 500 platinum for the transport; half now, and half when you deliver the cargo.”

Mal smiled at Wong and nodded. “Sounds fine, but you see, my ship is currently under repair and out of action for a day or so.”

“That’s no problem.” Wong replied with a laugh. “It’s not like a few more days is going to matter to them now, is it.”

He looked over at his display cabinet, thinking. “Might I suggest, Captain, that when your ship is ready, that you consider returning here, and I will give you the full details and the coin then.”

Mal nodded and stepped back. “Right. I’ll do that then.” He nodded at Jayne, who started towards the door.

“My thanks again Mr. Wong.” He smiled as he reached the door.

“No, no. My thanks to you Captain Reynolds.” Wong replied, raising his glass and holding it out in toast to him.

Mal smiled once more and left, following Jayne out of the bar and into the fading daylight of the street. Once there though, the smile left his face.

“Chusheng xai-jiao de xiang huo” Mal muttered, shaking his head.

“Only thing worth any coin that goes from Ouidah is slaves. Under all them fancy clothes and tiny little dancers he’s just a fuckin’ slaver.” Jayne agreed. “And you’re gonna take that job from him?” He asked, amazed.

“I surely ain’t.” Mal replied. “I ain’t no slaver, and I ain’t gonna transport none neither.”

“But you told him we’d be back.” Jayne replied.

“Did you hear me actually say that?” Mal asked. “What he said was that I should consider coming back, and he’d give me the full details then. Besides, I never shook on it. And a deal ain’t a deal, lessen it’s been shook on.”

Jayne grinned and slapped Mal on the back. “C’mon. I don’t feel like goin’ back in there and giving him more coin for slaves. Let’s go find somewhere else to drink.”

Mal laughed and turned away from the bar, starting up the street. A movement in the darkening sky caught his eye and he looked up, the smile falling from his face.

“Tamade diyu.” He swore, unable to look away.

Jayne turned and looked as well, his face going pale as he took in the dark shadows of the ships that had taken position above the town. He could distantly hear the screams drifting up from the town square as figures rappelled down ropes and into the midst of the crowds.

“Reavers.” He spoke, his voice little more than a whisper. “Fuck, Mal; we gotta get out of here.” He turned and grabbed Mal’s arm, his voice tight with panic.

Mal turned and looked at Jayne, snapping out of his stupor and nodding. Jayne was right; they needed to get out of here and fast.

“Get back in the bar.” He urged him, turning and heading back through the doors. Jayne quickly followed, not wanting to get left behind.

The bars patrons stood as Mal and Jayne burst back inside. The sound of screams and gunshots came through the door with them, silencing as it shut behind them.

“Reavers.” Mal yelled, causing everyone to move. They all headed for the entrance, as Mal led Jayne towards the back exit.

The office door opened and Jason Wong emerged with two of his guards flanking him, weapons drawn.

“What is going on here Captain Reynolds?” He asked, more than a little angry at the loss of all his customers.

“There’s Reavers outside.” Mal told him, still moving towards the back exit.

“Don’t be absurd.” Wong told him. “Reavers don’t venture this far.”

“Well they surely do now.” Jayne told him, as Mal reached Wong.

“Lessen you’ve got a vault or somethin’ equally impenetrable in here, I suggest you get out, ‘fore they come in here and pay you a visit.” Mal advised, starting to step around Wong and his men. A gun barrel in his belly stopped him.

“I don’t believe any such nonsense.” Wong informed him. “You’re here to steal my treasures from me, and I won’t have you do that.”

“Yúchûn húndàn.” Jayne muttered, his hand going to rest on the butt of his gun.

“What in the diyu would I want with yer little dolls?” Mal asked, frustrated and annoyed by the delay. They needed to get out of here, and fast.

“I told you that they were worth a fortune, so now you have come here with this diversion to steal them away from me.”

“Tamade hundan.” Mal swore. “I ain’t tryin’ to steal from ya. I’m just trying to get away before the gorram Re…”

A crash and a lot of screaming stopped Mal, as Reavers started piling in through the doors and windows, heedless of the glass and wood they sent flying everywhere.

Mal and Jayne both turned and drew their guns, dropping a few Reavers as Wong’s men opened fire as well.

Wong turned and ran to his office, leaving his men to fight for their lives without him.

Mal and Jayne managed to duck behind cover, firing off shots and dropping Reavers as they worked their way across to the office and its back exit.

Ducking inside the doorway and slamming it behind them, they found Wong trying to pack up his figurines into padded cases.

“Damnnit man. You ain’t got no time for that. Just grab some weapons and get.” Mal yelled at him, heading for the exit. Jayne covered him, his sights trained on the door to the bar, his gun steady and waiting to open fire. He spied a rifle that must belong to one of the guards, and he grabbed it with one hand, slinging the strap over his head so the gun was behind his back in easy reach.

“No!” Wong yelled. “I’m not leaving them.”

Mal reached the door and tried the handle, swearing when he found it was locked.

“Where’s the gorram key?” He yelled at Wong, grabbing and shaking him.

“Help me take them.” Wong insisted, shaking free of Mal’s grip and going back to his figurines.

Mal swore again and turned his gun on the door, shooting the lock clean off and kicking the door half off of its hinges just as Jayne opened fire as the first Reaver broke through the office door.

“Jayne.” Mal yelled, rushing out of the door, finding himself in a maze of back alleys. He checked both ways, his gun ready, covering Jayne as he followed him out of the doorway. Behind them, back in the office, they heard a scream and the sound of breaking glass and china as Wong was grabbed by Reavers and propelled into the cabinets behind him, sending his precious figurines smashing to the floor.

Mal fired covering shots back into the room as Jayne barreled past him, heading down the alley away from the main town.

“Mal c’mon.” Jayne yelled over his shoulder, turning a corner and vanishing out of sight. Mal took a last look at Wong’s office before running after him, knowing that there was nothing he could do that wouldn’t get himself killed as well.

Jayne fled down the alleys, faster than his massive bulk would seem to allow. Mal kept up with him on his long legs, both with weapons still drawn and checking back every few seconds to make sure they weren’t being followed.

Jayne was scared, nothing in the ‘verse scared him more than Reavers, and here they were, stuck in the middle of a raid, with no gorram way off the backwater they were stuck on.

He could no longer hear the screams, although they were all around him. Instead all he could hear was his own harsh breathing and the pounding of his heart in his ears.

He reached a junction and stopped, waiting for Mal to catch him up. Two gun hands were better’n one where Reavers were concerned, and he and Mal needed to watch each other’s backs, lessen they get ‘et.

It took him a few seconds to realize that Mal wasn’t right behind him and he spun around, looking back the way he’d come, suddenly all too aware of all the sounds of explosions and death and screaming that were going on around him.

“Gingwa cao de liumang” He swore, looking back and forth between the way he’d been, and the way out of the town. There weren’t no way he were going back for Mal. No way in…

“Ah hell.” He swore, loping off back the way he’d just come.

He damn near run into the back of three Reavers, who were pinned down by Mal’s deft gunhand, peeking out from behind a stack of crates, whilst another half dozen or so tried to get at him from the other end of the alley.

“Mal!” Jayne yelled; grabbing his attention as he quickly killed the three blocking his end of the alley. He laid down cover fire while Mal made a break for it, turning and bolting quickly, before the remainder could get to them.

“Go right.” He yelled at Mal, rushing after him and quickly getting back to where he’d been before. Mal stopped at the junction and Jayne damn near knocked him flying as he kept going, reaching out a hand and snagging Mal’s coat, pulling him along after him towards the edge of the forest he could see less than a block away now.

They could hear the screaming still close behind them as they broke cover of the alleys and rushed across the few hundred feet of open ground between the town and the trees. Darts and shrapnel exploded into the trees around them as the Reavers reached the edge of the town as well, finally getting a clear shot at them, but Mal and Jayne didn’t even slow down.

Jayne rushed headlong into the forest, his eyes adjusting to the almost darkness all around him. It was almost nightfall anyhow, but the canopy above them cut out most of the remaining light, leaving it almost pitch black below.

He could hear Mal’s harsh breathing just beside him, and he kept pressing on, knowing full-well that the Reavers were still back there too.

He twisted and turned his way through the undergrowth, Mal hard on his heels, dodging and spinning as they tried to avoid the lethal shots from the chasing Reavers.

They had to lose them somehow, but Jayne had no gorram clue how they were gonna do it.

Distantly he could hear the sound of running water, and he started to move away from it, remembering seeing a large river snaking through the trees from Inara’s shuttle as they entered atmo. Mal seemed to realize where they were too, but he grabbed Jayne and headed towards it instead, not waiting for him to start arguing.

“We’re gonna get cut off.” Jayne warned him.

“No we ain’t.” Mal panted beside him. “We’re gonna lose ‘em.” He promised.

The sound of the water was getting louder, and from the roar Jayne could tell that the river had to be massive and fast flowing.

“How do you figure?” He gasped, wincing as another of the Reavers' weapons hit a tree as he was running past, sending splinters flying and cutting into his face and neck.

“Easy.” Mal told him, bursting out into a clearing, the raging torrent now right in front of them. Mal didn’t even break his stride, and with a sudden burst of clarity, Jayne knew what he had planned.

“Ah hell no Mal.” He yelled, even though he never stopped running either.

Mal just glanced back at him, catching sight of the Reavers breaking out into the clearing as he took a last few strides and leaped out into the water. Jayne followed him barely a few seconds behind, and they were carried away from the Reavers at a fast pace, the flow taking them to safety. Jayne’s last view before he was tossed about in the water was the Reavers slowing to a halt on the riverbank.

He was dunked under the surface and came up spluttering, trying to see where Mal was. The water was moving so fast that it was all he could do to stay afloat, and so he was forced to concentrate on that, catching the odd glimpse of Mal, but unable to do anything to get any closer.

The river turned a bend, and Jayne cursed as he was thrown against some rocks beneath the surface, which made him lose his attempt to stay above the water and he was tossed back down again and again, ‘til he thought he was going to drown. A final knock left him barely conscious, as he was tossed and tumbled about like a feather in the wind.


	2. Chapter 2

Jayne opened his eyes and blinked, thinking for a moment he had gone blind. All he could see was blackness above him, not a sign of any light. He knew he was awake though, ‘cause he could hear the water, as well as the sounds of the animals and insects of the forest all around him. He turned his head, trying to roll off of his back, and groaned as the pain shot through him. Gradually, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness he was able to make out the glint of the moon on the river as it broke through the trees, which were growing right up as far as the riverbank on this part. The river itself was not as rough here and Jayne figured that the water had dumped him as it went round another bend, losing the force to carry him.

He gradually managed to struggle to his knees, wincing as every bump and scrape on his body made itself known to him. He could feel the rifle, still somehow slung around his back, and he did a quick inventory of his weapons.

He’d lost his gun from his holster, and silently mourned for Glenda; but found that he still had Binky sheathed on his belt, and a quick search found that Sarah was still in his ankle holster as well. A quick search of his belt and pockets revealed a couple of Grizwald grenades and more ammunition, as well as some tape and bandages, although these were both soaked through, and a couple of phosphorous glow sticks.

Satisfied, Jayne took in his surroundings, looking for any sign of Mal. He was tempted to call out to him or use one of the glow sticks, but decided not to take the risk. Just ‘cause he hadn’t seen any Reavers follow them into the river, didn’t mean there weren’t none around.

Instead he stood up painfully and stared up and down the riverbank, looking for any sign of his Captain.

Groaning as his muscles protested at his movements, he stretched and scanned the banks on both sides of the river, letting his eyes adjust to the gloom all around him, searching for anything that looked out of place.

“Zao gao.” He muttered to himself. “How in the rutting hell am I ‘sposed to find you?” He complained to the forest. “Damn you Mal.” He shook his head and started on down the river, not wanting to go back, and hoping like hell that he was doing right.

He followed the river for about 10 minutes, scanning all around him for any sign of Mal. It was difficult to keep his footing, as the roots were tangled and slippery from the water, but Jayne didn’t want to stray too far, knowing that Mal wouldn’t leave the banks either, and would be looking for him.

A dark shape on the opposite bank caught his eye and he strained to see it, expecting it to be a rock, or a clump of tree roots, like everything else had turned out to be. He moved downstream a little, trying to get level with it, so he could see better, cursing the lack of light. He was still not about to risk lighting a glow stick, so he had to stick with the light available.

As he got as close as he could, Jayne recognized the dark shape as Mal’s coat, and could just about make out his lighter pants with the stripe on ‘em. He was face-down on the bank, half in and half out of the water; not moving.

“Mal!” Jayne called, as loud as he dared. But he got no response.

“MAL!” He called a bit louder, wincing as his voice seemed to echo.

“Gorramit.” He swore quietly to himself, carefully stepping into the water. The river was neither very deep or very fast here, and Jayne was able to cross it without falling in, only getting soaked up to his thighs.

He reached Mal and put a hand on his back, shaking him roughly. “C’mon Mal gorramit. We need ta keep movin’.” He exclaimed.

When Mal didn’t answer Jayne hauled him over onto his back swearing when he took in the view.

Mal looked grey, even in the small amount of moonlight. Jayne dropped to his knees, trying to see if Mal was even still breathing.

“C’mon Mal.” He whispered, “Don’t you be dead on me.”

He reached a hand up to touch Mal’s cheek, eliciting a groan from the other man.

“Mal?” Jayne called, shaking him again. “Mal! Wake up.”

This time Mal groaned louder, tossing his head and wincing.

“Wha?” He groaned. “Jayne?”

“Yeah it’s me Mal. Open your eyes, we gotta get movin’.” He told him, leaning over.

Mal’s eyes flickered a little before opening, looking glassy with pain and not focused.

“Jayne? ‘M cold.”

“I know Cap’n, me too. Some gorram fool had us jump in a river.”

“What in the gorram hell’d he do that for?” Mal asked, confused.

“We were running from the Reavers.” Jayne told him, shivering a little.

“Reavers?!” Mal jerked, groaning in pain at the movement.

“Don’t you remember?” Jayne asked, worried.

“Little bitty ballerina dolls.” Mal spoke after a few moments, slowly sitting up and pulling himself out of the water fully, with a bit of help from Jayne.

“That’s it. We took him a ‘lil doll and he offered us a slaving job. We left the meet, and the Reavers were starting to raid.”

“You came back for me.” Mal remembered. “Why’d you do that?” He asked, confused. By all rights Jayne shoulda run. Knowing mercs in general, and knowing how much Jayne hated Reavers, he had thought he was alone. Jayne appearing at the end of the alley had both shocked and confused him, but he hadn’t had time to think on it before jumping into the water.

And now here he was again, finding him and bringing him ‘round, even when every minute ran the risk of Reavers finding them again. It just didn’t make sense.

He looked at Jayne, who dropped his gaze. “Well. Two gunhands is better’n one.” He replied, not looking up. “Better chance for two of us to hold them off then just me.”

“Hmmmmm.” Mal agreed, trying to stand. He swayed wildly and almost fell face first into the river, but Jayne caught him and held him up until he got his balance back. Mal looked around at the darkness, looking for anything that might give him an idea what to do next.

His head was throbbing and he felt groggy, like he was half-asleep and couldn’t quite wake up. He was shivering from the cold, and figured that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon, so long as he was in wet clothes and traipsing around the woods in the darkness. But he much preferred that to the alternative had they not jumped into the river to escape.

“You see anyplace likely to make a good hideout?” He asked Jayne, carefully trying to negotiate the slippery rocks and tree roots as he turned.

“Not a lot that way.” Jayne replied, gesturing back upstream. “’cepting trees. At least so far as I could see. It’s too gorram dark to see more ‘n a few feet into the forest, ‘n I was mostly watching the bank fer a sign of you.”

Mal nodded and turned back downstream, stepping off of the riverbank and using the tree trunks for balance as he moved just into the protection of the trees. He didn’t feel comfortable being out in the open like that, ‘specially not with Reavers about.

Jayne followed him, keeping a close eye on his Captain as he moved a little unsteadily.

“Y’okay Mal?” He asked quietly.

“I’ll be fine.” Mal replied with characteristic stubbornness.

Jayne looked at him but knew better than to say anything to that, instead looking around and trying to peer into the darkness.

“I don’t like not being able to see.” Mal muttered. “Too easy to get caught out.”

Jayne nodded and stood beside him, taking one of the glow sticks out of his belt pouch. “I got a few ‘f these.” He told him. “Figured it weren’t safe to use ‘em though, might draw attention we don’t want.”

Mal looked at the glow sticks and nodded. “You’re right. But keep ahold of ‘em in case we need ‘em.”

Jayne nodded and put the glow stick away again, taking a couple of steps away from Mal before turning and facing him.

“You got any clue how to get us offa this rock?” He asked.

Mal shook his head. “Not at this moment I don’t. But we got more pressing things to worry ‘bout at the moment. Like not getting eaten.”

“You thinkin’ they followed us?” He asked. “They didn’t seem to be in a hurry to jump in after us.”

“They might not have.” Mal replied. “But that don’t stop ‘em following the riverbank.” He gestured back upriver. “Won’t take ‘em more than a coupla hours to travel on foot, and I don’t know how long I was out for- do you?” He asked.

Jayne shook his head. “Nope. I done woke up ‘bout half hour ago and it were dark then- but trees are so thick as to block mosta the light anyhow, and it were nearly nightfall when we left Wong’s place.” He added.

Mal nodded and moved towards Jayne, a little more steady on his feet now.

“I dunno if they followed us or not.” He told Jayne. “But we’d be fong le to think that they wouldn’t.”

“If you run, they will chase you down.” Jayne muttered; something that those out on the rim knew all too well.

Mal just nodded slightly. “So, best as I can figure, we keep moving, head away from the river and deeper into the forest, away from the settlement.” He pointed the way he thought they should go, and Jayne just nodded, adjusting the rifle on his back.

“If we find somewhere we can hide, might be able to get some rest, least till it gets light, that way mebbe we can see them coming. And we don’t wanna spend the next coupla days walking around here on foot- will just tire us out and increases the chance that we run into Reavers, iff’n they have followed us.”

Jayne could see the logic in that and he agreed, keeping his hand near his gun as he moved into the darkness, Mal following close behind.

They walked in silence for the most part. Jayne kept half an eye on Mal as they moved, pleased to see that he seemed to be steadier on his feet and more alert as time moved on. He was still moving stiffly though, and so Jayne made sure to lead them, careful to steer Mal away from the more tricky routes through the trees. If Mal noticed, he didn’t say anything, and so Jayne simply kept them moving.

Jayne felt a change in the air and stiffened, stopping still. Mal, who was by now used to paying attention to Jayne’s instincts, stopped as well, attempting to peer into the gloom of the forest, looking for any sign of danger.

Jayne reached a hand out for Mal and pulled him close to a thick knot of trees, pressing both of their bodies tight against it and holding still.

Mal wanted desperately to ask Jayne what he had seen, but knew better than to try. Instead he strained to hear any sound that would give him a clue. And that’s when he realized what the difference was. There was no sound. All the animals and insects in the forest, whose background noise and chattering had accompanied them since they started moving, had stopped. Not so much as a chirp.

His ears picked up a faint sound, moving closer to them. His head whipped around to look at Jayne, who stared back at him with fright in his eyes. Mal nodded grimly and looked around. The clump of trees they were leaning against were packed densely together, trunks practically wrapped around each other. But there was space in between, as nature had done its work, and the trees had grown at angles, trying to grow outward as well as upward, so as to best get as much energy from the light as they could.

He felt around the tree he was pushed against with one hand, reaching out to try and feel the next trunk. Satisfied, he tapped Jayne on the shoulder before moving silently, slipping between the two trunks into the middle of the thick knot of trees. Jayne followed behind, breathing in so that he could just squeeze through.

There was barely any room for them to move, and they ended up pressed up tight together, watching silently through small gaps for any sign of movement, even as the sound of heavy feet moved nearer.

Jayne’s hand gripped Mal’s arm as he caught first glimpse of them, a flash of silver as a wicked blade caught in a tiny shaft of moonlight. Mal tensed and watched, gun in hand as the Reavers moved closer.

Neither man dared breathe as the Reavers moved towards them. They watched silently as the group of five moved together as a pack, staring around the forest, looking for them. Jayne’s grip tightened as the Reavers got closer still, not concerned at all by all the noise they were making.

The Reavers moved closer still, and Jayne cursed in his head that the rifle was still on his back. There wasn’t the room in here for him to get it round, nor was there the space for him to aim and fire it.

He kept one hand on Binky, the other still clutching at Mal, yet itching to reach down and grab Sarah. They just watched as the Reavers moved closer still, crashing through the undergrowth as they headed south, on a path bringing them ever nearer.

Both men froze as the Reavers suddenly stopped, almost scenting the air. One of them made a grotesque, almost growling sound, and they all turned. Jayne heard a slight snuffling noise and looked for the source, spotting a wild boar about 30 feet away on the other side of the clearing.

All of a sudden the Reavers let out a roar and pounced at the boar, which started to flee, startled. It only took a second for the first of the Reavers to catch it, embedding a deadly knife in the boar’s back, causing it to squeal in pain and fall to the ground. The other Reavers fell on it, and Mal and Jayne both had to close their eyes and try to shut out the sound of the unfortunate animal’s death throes.

Eventually the boar stopped its cries, and the forest was filled with the sounds of the Reavers making the most of their kill.

Once they were satisfied, the Reavers moved on, heading in the direction the boar had come from, unaware of their quarry only a few scant feet away from their path.

Neither Mal nor Jayne moved for some time, even after the last sounds of their steps had faded, and they were alone once more.

Finally, Mal let out a breath and slumped back against one of the trees. Jayne let go of Mal’s arm and leaned against the tree behind him, looking at Mal in the darkness.

“Think we’re safe fer now?” Jayne whispered as loud as he dared.

Mal made an affirmative noise and the two of them slipped silently out of the thicket, but still staying close to the trees.

Satisfied, Mal jerked his head in the opposite direction that the Reavers had gone, and the two of them slipped off into the night.

Jayne didn’t relax as they wound their way through the dense forest, jumping at every sound that broke the silence, warily scanning their surroundings. Mal moved behind him, keeping an eye on their rear to make sure they weren’t being followed.

The terrain around them became more and more rocky, the ground rising in front of them in steep-sided hills covered in dense foliage. Jayne stopped and looked up, considering his options. Mal moved beside him.

“High or low?” he asked, referring to the two paths before them, over the hills or through the gap between them.

“Could go ‘round?” Jayne suggested, pointing off to the side.

“Take too long,” Mal told him. “Iffin they’ve picked up on our trail they’ll cut through and catch right up to us.”

“Going up will be hard work and might give our position away,” Jayne pointed out.

“And going through there will be setting us up for an ambush iffin they’re any in front of us,” Mal nodded. “I know, lesser of three evils,”

“So through?” Jayne asked, “would be fastest.”

“That’s my way of thinking too,” Mal agreed.

“Jayne drew Sarah from her holster and checked her ammo before nodding at Mal, who had drawn his own gun.

Together they moved silently to the gap between the hills, traveling as swiftly as they dared, keeping an eye on their surroundings to check for any sign of movement.

As they got further in, the hillsides got steeper, becoming more like sheer cliff faces, lifting up a good 20 feet above their heads. Jayne eyed the tops warily, not liking that he couldn’t see the tops clearly in the darkness. Mal moved silently behind him, alternately keeping an eye on the path behind them and looking up as well.

After a couple of minutes they got close enough to see the end, and they moved faster, wanting to be out of there quickly.

Suddenly there was a whooshing sound from above, and a wicked looking blade embedded itself in the ground by Jayne’s feet.

“Tianna!” Jayne swore, spinning around and catching sight of a Reaver high above him.

“MAL!” he yelled.

“Go! Go!” Mal called in reply, knowing they had no cover here and needed to get back into the relative safety of the trees, visible in front of them.

Jayne didn’t waste his breath replying, just sprinted ahead, keeping an eye out for any more Reavers ahead or above him as he ran. He could hear Mal’s footfalls behind him, punctuated by the sounds of Reaver calls and projectiles and blades thumping around him. He ducked as he felt something whistle over his head and saw a harpoon land in front of him, jumping over it as he ran.

Behind him he heard Mal curse and stumble, but he didn’t dare turn around and find out what was wrong, as he spotted a Reaver in front of him and lifted Sarah up and opened fire, dropping him to the ground.

He jumped the fallen body, hearing Mal do the same behind him, and they broke out of the path and into a clearing, the treeline a good 25 feet in front of them. Jayne didn’t stop, barreling across the open space and heading for the safety of cover, only turning and spinning around after he reached the trees, slamming into a large trunk and turning back the way he came, his body sheltered by the wood. He saw Mal just behind him, as he too broke into the safety of the treeline, and then he ignored him as he picked off the four Reavers that he could see that had followed him.

The sharp bark of Mal’s gun sounded off to his right, and Jayne saw a couple more Reavers fall from their positions on the slopes.

Jayne caught another Reaver in the stomach, who screamed and fell to its knees, but didn’t die straight away.

Mal fired again and swore as he missed, and Jayne saw where he was aiming and took the shot himself, dropping the Reaver to the ground.

“Mal?” Jayne called.

“Need to get out of here Jayne,” Mal replied, firing and hitting another Reaver.

“Don’t think there’s many left,” Jayne replied, even as he started backing away deeper into the forest, catching sight of Mal doing the same. They both saw the Reaver that started to head across the clearing and fired together, the body jerking at the double impact of bullets.

“No, but all this ruckus could bring more,” Mal pointed out.

They couldn’t see any more Reavers and they continued to back away as quickly as they could, not wanting to turn their backs on them just yet.

When no more appeared to follow them Mal and Jayne nodded at each other and turned, running through the undergrowth, trying to put as much space between them and the Reavers as they could.

Jayne was slightly behind Mal, and caught sight of him running awkwardly, his gun hand held close to his side, pressing against his body.

“Mal? You hit?” he asked breathlessly.

“Hundan caught me in the side,” Mal replied wearily, panting harshly.

“Gorrammit!” Jayne swore. “You need to stop?”

“No way!” Mal replied. “Not until we’re clear. S’just a scratch anyhow.”

Jayne swore again under his breath, willing to bet all his weapons that it was more’n ‘just a scratch.’

Instead they kept running, listening out for any sound of Reavers near them, but hearing nothing over the sounds their own footsteps.

After about 20 minutes they had slowed some, and Jayne could see Mal weakening as he started to trip over the exposed roots of some of the trees.

He sped up himself, getting to Mal’s side and reaching an arm around him to hold him steady.

“Damnit Mal.” Jayne whispered urgently, his voice sounding loud above his harsh breathing as they crashed through the trees. “Don’t you go ‘n quit on me y’hear?”

Mal didn’t talk at all, and Jayne frowned and stopped for a second, chancing a look behind them, his wild-eyes flashing in the moonlight.

He cursed under his breath as Mal slumped further against him, breathing more shallowly, his legs liquefying beneath him now they was stopped so that Jayne was the only thing left holding him upright.

“O, zhe zhen shi ge kuaile de jinzhan” Jayne complained, hitching at the gun slung across his forearm as he tried to get a better grip around Mal’s waist with the other.

He could feel the blood, sticky and red, coating his hand and Mal’s side, and he winced in sympathy. He couldn’t see much in the dark like they were, but he knew it were bad.

“Tamade diyu.” He swore again. “I can’t carry yer carcass around 'til they find us. Gotta find us somewhere to hide.”

He closed his eyes, shutting out his sense so that he could hear the dark more clearly, and listened for any sounds nearby. Couldn’t take the chance to stop if they were still following them. He couldn’t hear no movement though, ‘cepting the sound of the trees swaying in the wind. Satisfied, he opened his eyes again and looked around, needing sumthin’ to hide them in, least ‘till Mal came ‘round again.

They'd crisscrossed and doubled back some to get away from the Reavers, and so Jayne was able to tell that they were once again close to the hills, although much further down from the ambush site. He hefted Mal against him and made for the rocks, looking for a likely place to hole up until Mal woke up and they planned their next move. He swore as Mal's dead weight slowed him down, and found a quiet spot to stash Mal for a few minutes while he scouted out the area.

"Won't go far Mal, just gotta find us somewheres to hide dong ma?" he told him. "Be right back. Don't you worry."

With that he slipped off into the darkness, headed for the outcropping of rocks he had seen.

Approaching it from the side, Jayne spotted a half-hidden cave; the entrance was small, and mostly hidden behind some fallen boulders and scrub. It would be a tight squeeze getting in, but it also meant that it wasn't easy to see, and that if the Reavers did find them and try to get in, he and Mal should be able to hold them off for a while at least. It had a large expanse of rocky land around it, which would make it easier to hear anyone coming, as they'd not be able to walk on the little rocks without making a noise that they would hear in the cave.

Moving as silently as he could, Jayne approached the opening and slipped inside, checking that the space was big enough for them both, and that it was fairly stable- the last thing he wanted was to get buried in a rockfall. Satisfied that it was as safe as they were going to get, Jayne left the cave and rushed back to where he had left Mal, picking the now-partially conscious man up and helping him as he stumbled his way alongside Jayne to the caves.

Jayne urged Mal inside, turning and scanning their surroundings one more time before slipping inside the entrance himself. He carefully pulled the loose scrub across the entrance more, hiding it from view before ducking fully inside. The space was narrow and low to begin with, although it opened out a little a few feet further down. Jayne watched in the half light as Mal settled himself down on the floor and frowned at the lack of light.

"Mal?" he called softly, receiving a grunt in reply. "Y'okay?"

"I'm fine," came Mal's terse reply, but even Jayne could hear the pain he was trying to keep out of his voice.

"No yer not," Jayne countered, "but we should be safe in here for now."

"Don't much like being boxed in here Jayne," Mal told him. "Only one way in or out. They find us, we're trapped."

"I know Mal," Jayne replied. "But iffin we stay out in the open they'll find us just as easy. Least this ways we only have to hold them off from one front."

Jayne took Mal's silence as an agreement.

He moved closer to Mal and crouched at his feet, trying to see where Mal was hurt, but it was too dark. He frowned and tried to lift Mal's hand from his side, pulling out the tape and bandages, one of the glow sticks dropping to the floor.

"Mal move yer hand, need to stop the bleeding," he told him.

Mal didn't reply, he reached out with his free hand and grabbed the glow stick, handing it back to Jayne.

"Use it," he ordered.

"Reaver's might see," Jayne pointed out.

"We'll take that risk. Can't patch me up in the dark."

Jayne looked at him for a moment before nodding and taking the stick, breaking the tube to mix the chemicals that made it light up. It fizzled to life and set a slightly green tinge to everything and throwing shadows across the sides of the small cave.

In the light Jayne could now see enough to move Mal’s hand away from the wound and take a look for himself before bandaging it up as best he could. Zoë would be much better at this, Jayne was only really god for patching up smaller wounds, but he was all Mal had right now, so he did his best.

He opened Mal’s shirt up, carefully peeling it away from his torso and exposing the wound to Mal’s side. It looked like something sharp had raked him, like a blade or harpoon. It was pretty deep, and still pumping out enough blood to worry Jayne, who could already see that Mal wouldn’t be able to afford losing too much more of it.

Wadding one of the bandages up to make a pad, Jayne placed it over the wound in Mal’s side and had Mal keep pressure on it while he used the other bandages he had to wrap around Mal’s stomach to keep it in place. Mal groaned every time Jayne had to ease him off of the floor enough to wrap the bandage around his back, and it made Jayne wince in sympathy.

Getting hurt was never no fun for anyone.

When he was finished, Jayne tied the bandages off tightly and pulled Mal’s shirt closed again, trying to keep him warm. Mal had started shivering, and Jayne knew that wasn’t a good sign either.

“Mal…” he started to speak, but cut himself off as he heard the sound of loose stones scattering outside. He looked at Mal, who had tensed at the sound and waved Jayne to go and carefully check it out. Mal reached out and grabbed the glow stick, sliding it behind his back to hide most of the light before wincing as he reached for his gun.

Jayne grabbed his own gun up and stealthily crept back to the entrance of the cave, trying to see outside. Everything was now deathly quiet, and Jayne glanced back at Mal, a hopeful look on his face. Maybe it was just an animal or something?

Suddenly the small space reverberated with a roar as a Reaver dropped down in the entrance of the cave, mere inches from where Jayne stood. Jayne leapt back and brought his gun to bear, the sharp retort of the small weapon equally loud in the small space.

As the first Reaver fell, another appeared behind him, and Jayne quickly fired at him as well, not wanting to give them time to fire anything into the cave that might hit him or Mal.

Jayne managed to duck into a small space along the wall where it shielded most of his body, and saw Mal drag himself behind an outcropping of rock on the other side of the cave to do the same.

Then Jayne had no more time to think as the Reavers were on them, dropping where they fell, piling on top of each other and not caring in their thirst to get at the two men.

Jayne kept firing, trying to work out how many bullets he had left, and cursing as he figured that he’d run out soon. He knew that Mal couldn’t have that many left either, and that he wouldn’t be much help to Jayne if they had to go hand-to-hand.

He wished that he knew how many Reavers were out there, because he’d rather leave the last bullets for him and Mal than waste them on Reavers if he knew that they had no chance of getting out.

Mal missed a shot and one of the Reavers managed to scramble over the dead bodies and make it inside the cave just as Jayne was reloading.

“Tamade” he cursed as the gun was knocked from his hands and he scrabbled to grab his knife as the Reaver pushed him to the ground.

Faintly Jayne could hear Mal cursing as he continued to fire at the Reavers trying to get in, knowing that he was unwilling to try and kill the Reaver grappling with Jayne, in case he accidentally hit Jayne instead.

Then all his attention was focused on the stinking, rotten carcass that was attacking him, clawing at his face and arms with one hand and trying to stab him with a vicious-looking blade with the other, while at the same time trying to bite him as well.

Jayne managed to throw the Reaver off of him, but wasn’t quick enough to either reach his gun or get back to his feet before the Reaver was back on him again. He swore and panted as he kicked out at the screaming monster, trying to get hold of his gun again.

“Mal!” he yelled, hoping that his Captain would be able to take a shot now, and smiled in grim satisfaction as a bullet threw the Reaver back against the wall before slumping down, dead.

Jayne wasted no time grabbing for his gun, and he threw himself over to where Mal was hidden, partially covering him with his body as they together tried to keep the Reaver’s out.

“Almost out of ammo” Jayne told Mal quickly, getting a nod in return.

“Me too,” Mal admitted.

Jayne opened his mouth to ask if he should save the last two when a rumbling sound echoed through the cave.

“Rockfall!” Jayne yelled, his eyes wide and panicked.

Mal curled in tighter on himself and they waited for the entire cave to collapse around them. They barely noticed that the Reavers had stopped coming as they looked at each other desperately, both wanting to say something to the other, but neither of them having the words.

It took a few seconds for them to realize that nothing more than small rocks and dust was falling, and then suddenly they could hear the sound of gunfire outside.

“SIR?” came a strong female voice from somewhere outside, and both Mal and Jayne slumped with relief as they both recognized it.

“Stay here a minute, Mal,” Jayne told him as he struggled to rise.

Jayne moved to the entrance, quickly trying to pull the Reavers out of the way, enough that he and Mal could get through easier. He got to the entrance and was able to see Zoë standing in the cover of the cargo bay, firing at the few Reavers who were torn between trying to get onboard Serenity and trying to get to the cave.

“Zoë!” Jayne yelled. “We’re over here!”

Zoë flashed an acknowledgment at him whilst shooting point blank at a Reaver who had tried to sneak in from the side.

“Can you make it?” she yelled, hitting another Reaver against the side of the ship with the stock of her gun before shooting that one too.

“Mal’s hurt,” he replied. “But iffin’ you cover us we should be able to make it.”

Zoë nodded and Jayne slipped back inside the cave, finding Mal wavering badly on his feet.

“You ain’t gonna get far like that Mal,” Jayne told him bluntly.

“Well I ain’t staying here,” Mal countered.

“Weren’t gonna suggest it Cap’n,” Jayne replied. “Zoë’d shoot me ‘fore I got onboard.”

“’Sides, we got this far, ain’t gonna leave you now.”

Somehow Mal knew that Jayne was talking about more than just today, but he let it slide for now.

Jayne grabbed Mal and helped him to the cave entrance, signalling to Zoë that they were ready.

“I gotcha Mal,” Jayne told him, wrapping one of Mal’s arms over his shoulder and around the back of his neck before slipping his own strong arm around Mal’s side.

“This’ gonna hurt like a tamade hundan,” he warned, before Zoë yelled “NOW!” and Jayne practically picked Mal up and sprinted out of the cave and down the slope, into the safety of Serenity’s hold. He slammed a hand down on the button to close her up, even as he ducked out of sight of the doors, easing Mal down against the wall and spinning in case he needed to lay down any more covering fire.

“Wash go!” Zoë yelled into the comm, and Jayne sighed and collapsed on the floor as the doors clanged shut and he felt Serenity lifting off.

Zoë hurried over to Mal, flicking a glance at Jayne, who nodded that he was okay before looking back to Mal.

“He’s lost a lotta blood Zo,” Jayne warned her. “Fixed ‘im up’s best I could, but we need to get him up ta t’infirmary.”

“Sir?” Zoë called softly, watching as Mal blinked at her blearily.

“Zoë?” he replied. “Where’d you come from?” he asked.

Zoë smiled tightly. “Inara sent us a wave when she got word that the Reaver’s had hit here. So Kaylee got Serenity running double quick and we headed straight here. There was nothing left of the town, but Wash spotted life-signs over here, so we checked it out just in case”

“Glad you did,” Mal murmered and Jayne nodded.

“’Nough of the chatter,” Zoë spoke, moving to help Mal to his feet. “We can play catchup later after you get fixed up.”

Jayne and Mal both grinned as Zoë and Jayne helped Mal to his feet.

“There was one bright spot in this whole shindig,” Mal added, stumbling a little as they started to help him towards the stairs.

“What’s that Sir?” Zoë asked.

Mal fumbled in his pocket for a moment before withdrawing a small canvas bag that rattled with the sound of metal.

“We got the coin,” Jayne grinned, and Mal threw it to Zoë as he let Jayne help him up the stairs to the Infirmary.

Zoë watched them go with a smile on her face, wondering if that wasn’t the only thing Mal was going to get out of this whole thing, before pocketing the coin and following them up and out of the cargo bay.


End file.
